Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Shares Sold by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 986 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 69 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Badger Meter by 2,457.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 179 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth about $155,000. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Shares of BMI stock opened at $212.68 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $213.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $213.87. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.87 and a twelve month high of $239.11. The company has a market capitalization of $6.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.28, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.77% and a net margin of 15.12%. On average, analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is presently 32.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BMI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Maxim Group increased their price target on Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.75.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total value of $240,571.78. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,064,640.24. The trade was a 18.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.13, for a total value of $31,395.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,638.63. This represents a 1.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Badger Meter Company Profile

Badger Meter, Inc manufactures and markets flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions worldwide. It offers mechanical or static water meters, and related radio and software technologies and services to municipal water utilities market. The company also provides flow instrumentation products, including meters, valves, and other sensing instruments to measure and control fluids going through a pipe or pipeline, including water, air, steam, and other liquids and gases to original equipment manufacturers as the primary flow measurement device within a product or system, as well as through manufacturers' representatives.